(3rd Person's POV)

"That guady-looking car..." Toko pointed at it. "It's made by Towa. Is there any way we can move it?"

"Don't worry, I got this." Akira said as she went to the back of the car and pushed it. ...Well, she tried to, anyway. "Urrrgh...! Hmmph...! Mmgh...!"

Both Toko and Komaru sweatdropped. "Y-You need help? I can probably move it with the Hacking Gun..." Komaru offered.

"N-Nope, I got it." Akira replied before trying to push the car again only to lose her grip and fall flat on her face. "...Okay nevermind, I need help."

Komaru nodded, pointing the gun at the car and shooting it with the "Move" setting. The car reacted by racing towards a shipping container. "Looks like it worked..."

Akira blushed, feeling embarrassed. "I loosened it up for you."

"Suuure..." Komaru sweatdropped as they moved forward. The went past the car lodged in the destroyed shipping container before seeing a Monokuma Kid stomp on a dead body.

"That kid...was playing with a dead body!" Komaru exclaimed in horror.

Akira looked up to see a Monokuma Kid standing on top of a shipping container...who also was eagerly hip-thrusting at the girls for some reason.

"What the...?" Akira mumbled as Toko saw what she was seeing.

"P-Perverted brat..." Toko grumbled. 

Heading down the path, the girls stopped at saw some literature. They picked it up and opened it.

---

The Right Not To Kill

"One early morning in August, station staff Tado, who's almost made it to retirement age, is shot through the heart. Around the same time, Shuichi Tadokoro, a train nerd, falls in love. He must solve the mystery of the Tado killing...the 3rd entry of the Honkawagoe series! Only those with the right not to kill have the will to not be killed."

--

Toko blankly stared at the book. "...The author is some anime nerd. No doubt about it."

"Hm? What makes you say that?" Komaru inquired.

"80% of authors who write books with drugs, guns, and high school girls in them are anime nerds." Toko accused. "It's a safe bet, like knowing your white shirt is gonna get splashed when you eat curry."

"Wow...you really have a bias against manga, don't you?" Akira sweatdropped.

"Yeah, putting aside the curry thing... I'm a high school girl, and I have this hacking gun... Not to mention Akira knows how to fight and has a sword strapped to her back..." Komaru pointed out. "Is this some anime nerd fantasy?"

"Do not associate a gift my Master gave you with anime nerd imagination nonsense!" Toko spat. "Keep being condescending and I'll cut you with a kitchen utensil only master chefs have heard of!"

"I-It's even more terrifying not knowing what it could possibly be!" Komaru paled at the thought. "But, seriously... I don't know much about guns. I barely know how to work this thing."

"You really don't have a sharp memory, do you?" Toko rolled her eyes before explaining. "It sends program codes in the form of radio waves that hacks the target machine."

Komaru scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Yeah, I don't get that at all but... It sounds really cool!"

"...Jeez, you didn't get my explanation at all, did you?" Toko deadpanned.

"Just think it like this, Komaru." Akira raised up a finger and talked to Komaru as if she was a baby. "Weird badass megaphone gun shoots out energy blasts to control machines."

"...Oh, I get it!" Komaru's face lit up.

Toko faceplamed. "Seriously?!"

"But this doesn't work on every machine, right? I wonder why not..." Komaru mused.

Toko shrugged. "Well I'm just an intern, so I don't really know the details, but I know it's a research project. M-Maybe it's made so that it doesn't work on machines you don't need to use...?"

"Well that's...convenient." Komaru said. "But, I have learned one thing!"

"Wh-What's that?"

"This gun works as well on humans as the ray guns do against Crystal Bowie!"

"...What." Akira deadpanned.

Toko blinked. "Wow, now that's an obscure reference... How old did you say you were?"

---

"I think we should go here." Komaru said as she looked at the Monokuma sign that pointed to the door to the right.

"Oh yeah, let's just follow the obviously untrustworthy sign that has Monokuma on it...! I'm sure that's not gonna lead to something bad!" Toko sarcastically replied.

"C'mon, what's the worst that can happen?" Komaru walked through the door with Toko and Akira following, with the former being somewhat begrudgingly. The three walked only to be stifled by a yellow shipping containing blocking their way.

Toko groaned. "Oh great. How are we supposed to get up there?"

 "Hup!" Akira grunted as she jumped up high enough to grab the edge and pull herself up.

"...Show off..."

"Well, we can't jump as high as she can, so it looks like we can only climb this by working together." Komaru told her.

"W-Work together? With you!?" Toko's eye twitched before sighing. "Gah, guess we don't have a choice... Do you wash your hands?"

Komaru face flared up. "O-Of course I wash my hands!"

With that, Komaru stood on top of Toko's shoulders and climbed up. Getting her bearings, she then proceeded to grab Toko and pull her up. The three walked to the other side and jumped down, but the moment they did...

"Hm?" Akira wondered as a grenade came flying towards them. Landing on the ground, it instantly exploded, though it didn't cause any lasting damage to the girls.

"Ahh!" Komaru yelped.

Akira looked at Komaru with a deadpan stare. "...What's the worst that can happen, huh?"

"Ohoho!" A voice laughed as the girls turned to two Monokumas.

Bombs Away! - Bomber Monokuma

"W-What the heck is that?!" Komaru took a step back.

"Looks like a new unit of Monokuma robots." Akira deduced. 

"C-C'mon! Let's take care of them already!" Toko stuttered.

The Bomber Monokumas threw a grenade at the girls, with them dodging it. Akira quickly charged at one of them and kicked it in the chest, tearing through its stomach and sending it back a few feet. Meanwhile, Komaru shot the other Bomber Monokuma with a Break shot that made it flop on its back.

"Whew...that takes care of-"

"Wait..." Akira narrowed her eyes before seeing the Monokumas glow. "Get away!"

The two jumped back as the robots exploded. Sighing in relief, Komaru and Co. headed out.

 ---

"Jeez, there are roadblocks all over the place... Can't get around easily." Toko grumbled.

"Based on where we are, the bridge should be on the opposite side of this hotel..." Komaru turned her head to the hotel right next to them. "What should we do? It looks like we can get through right here."

"A-Are you telling me we have to walk through this busted-up hotel?" Toko groaned. "Oh, this is the worst."

---

Inside the abandoned hotel, the girls looked around. After a bit of searching, they discovered a staircase and climbed up it to proceed.

While walking, Komaru found a telephone to the side and stopped, staring at it. "..."

"Wh-What?" Toko asked.

Komaru's face brightened as she smashed her fist into her palm. "I think I've got an idea! Look, if we use this telephone to call the police, won't they come save us?"

"The police?" Toko frowned. "That collective of psychos that think all humans are criminals until proven innocent!?"

"That's...quite a bias..." Komaru sweatdropped.

"But one that's not entirely inaccurate..." Akira chimed, agreeing with Toko.

Toko shook her head. "It's a shitty idea! There's no way it'd go through. Telephones, internet, nothing!"

"Huh!? Nothing works?" Komaru's eyes widened.

"I-If they did, this whole problem would have been solved by now! Jeez, use your brain!" Toko scolded, using her index fingers and pointing to her head, ala Omni-Man. "You're seriously useless... More useless than... Than a salmon that already laid its eggs!"

A depressed cloud appeared over Komaru's head. "Aww, you don't have to be so mean about it!"

Walking off, the girls continued their way throughout the floor. The encountered a few Monokumas, but they were quickly taken down by Komaru and Akira.

They then entered a room where Komaru sat down on a bed, letting out a tired breath. "Unstoppable...there's no way I'd be able to do it. I'm getting pretty tired..."

"You think you're tired?" Toko let out a rough sigh. "If you're tired, I don't even have a word for how tired I am. I need a new onomatopoeia to express the sheer tiredness..."

Komaru looked at her in shock. "You're tired? You don't really look like it, Toko."

"I'm liberal arts to the core. No energy...at all." Toko sighed before furrowing her eyebrows. "Aren't you younger than me!? Telling me you're tired already..."

"My age doesn't affect how tired I am..." Komaru responded before asking curiously. "Oh, hey... How old are you?"

Toko lowly growled. "Y-Your tricks won't work on me!"

"...What?"

"You're trying to show how young you are by comparing yourself to my age, aren't you!? Trying to add "old hag" onto the usual insults of ugly and gloomy and smelly!"

"Th-That's not true at all! I was just curious!"

Toko turned her head away, huffing. "Doesn't matter... I won't tell you."

Komaru frowned. "You hiding it makes me want to know even more, Toko. Makes me think that maybe you're even older than I imagined..."

"No way I'm 5 or 6 years older than you."

"...No way you're younger than that either..."

"I very well could be!" Toko refuted.

Akira looked at the entire conversation with an amused look on her face. 

---

After continuing through the hotel, Monokumas appeared in the halls. "Why do they have chef hats on...?" Akira asked.

"I dunno, but...for some reason, I find it kinda adorable." Komaru admitted, but it didn't stop her from blasting them to kingdom come. They went on their way as a Monokuma robot crashed through the glass, but Akira would just kick it in the face as it blew up instantly. 

Going inside another hotel room, the girls found a manga issue before picking it up and reading it.

---

"I, Yumi Kayakuda (16), am a normal high school girl in every way. At least, I wish that were the case. My womb is filled with bombs, so if I ever fall in love, they'd explode. That's why ever since I was born, I have been pure and innocent, but then... He appeared. Shota Honen, the boy who says he loves me..."

"Keeping my distance, less than lovers, more than friends, pushes me to my limit. "Sorry, but if this goes on, I'm going to fall for you. So do something horrible to me!"

Lighting up a fire in your heart!?

A risqué, thrilling love story!

---

Akira blinked twice. "...Huh."

Komaru gasped, snatching the manga from Akira's hands. "Th-Th-Th-This is it!"

"Wh-What!?" Toko shouted.

"The Bomb Inside Her! This manga... Oh it's been ages since I read this! I love it!" Komaru smiled, hugging it.

"It's just a manga... Why'd they draw her eyes so big? Jeez, at least I still look remotely human." Toko complained.

"The size of the eye is a sign of beauty! A sophisticated process and form! A manga with small eyes is like ramen with no bamboo shoots!" Komaru passionately yelled.

"Uhh..." Akira sweatdropped.

Toko scoffed. "...Sounds like some pretty good ramen."

"Oh have you even read it!? The Bomb Inside Her is like, required reading for high school girls!"

"There's no way I'd read even a single page of that manga dreck! And what do you mean, "high school girls"? Were you even in high school?"

"Well age-wise, I am..." Komaru mumbled.

"Age-wise?" Toko raised an eyebrow. "You've been...imprisoned since middle school? Is that your middle school uniform?"

Komaru shook her head. "No, this is a high school uniform. While I was imprisoned, it was delivered to me one day along with the food. Until then I had been wearing my middle school uniform... The culprit probably felt sorry for me." She turned to Akira. "What about you, Aki?"

"Um..." Akira scratched the back of her head. "My school didn't really have a dress code, so I've been wearing this ever since I got kidnapped."

"Y-You've been wearing that for a year and a half!?"

"Well...not exactly. This is a different one, it's just that the apartment that I was in had the same clothes in the closet."

"Well, for criminals, that was a pretty nice gesture." Toko spoke up. "A grown woman in a middle school uniform... People would have called the cops." She snickered.

"Well you're one to talk, wearing a high school uniform after you've graduated..." Komaru shot back before smiling. "But... I'm really glad they gave me one. This is the St. Koa Girls Academy uniform. It's a famous rich-girl school!"

Toko raised an eyebrow. "Koa? I've never heard of it."

"Koa Academy has a 300-year history of culture, activities, and sports." Komaru explained. "The club uniforms are also super cute. There are tons of girls who want a chance to wear one. The school cafeteria is buffet style, and you hear about it on television all the time..." She trailed off before frowning. "Ugh..."

"What is it?"

"I'm feeling... It's just silly of me to fantasize about all those details now, isn't it?" Komaru sighed. 

Toko snorted. "Well it sounded too good to be true, but you're telling me you made up the whole thing!?"

"I wanted a high school life like that!" Komaru whined.

"Even if you weren't imprisoned, I don't think that school life was in your future." Toko bluntly said.

"Ooof..." Akira winced.

"Y-You don't have to be so blunt about it!"

Wow. Toko Fukawa: Destroyer of Dreams

---

Heading down a path, the girls find the elevator as well as a paper.

---

Demon Name: Takaakix

Real Name: Takaaki Ishimaru

"A demon who was a policeman in the Demon World. May be carrying the item "Gun", so be very careful when you hunt it! Also, its father is a super rare Demon who's a former Prime Minister. If you can hunt it down while leaving some body parts behind, your friends are gonna be so jealous! Tickle its weak spot, the sides, then kill it when it starts laughing!"

---

Komaru shook. "What is this...? "Hit List"...? That doesn't sound good..."

Toko looked shocked. "This is..."

"D-Did you remember something?" Komaru asked.

"Yeah, it's probably something the brats made. A list made so that they can efficiently hunt and kill targets like you and Akira." Toko said.

"B-But that's... Why would they do that!?" Komaru looked horrified.

"Take a look at this part." Toko pointed. "It says "Hunting Grounds". And with this stupid title, Hit List... It's got to be those brats. They made this."

"But does that mean...there's other people who are being hunted by the children?"

"I'm not sure, but that does seem likely."

"But why would something like this...?"

"Well I doubt they're passing this list around to the adults, so some brat must have dropped it."

"If that's the case, we have to hurry and tell this person! The children know where they are!"

Toko shook her head. "Your life is more important than that right now. I understand how you feel, but we have to go on. If we run into them, we'll let them know then. That's how we have to handle this for now."

"I-Is that really okay...?" Komaru still didn't seemed too pleased.

"Don't think of it in terms of "good" or "bad"..." Toko advised. "It is what it is..."

Komaru reluctantly nodded. "I-I see... It is what it is..."

"Come on. We have to go. We'll talk about this later." Akira said as they moved forward and went into the elevator.

---

After the doors opened, the first thing the girls saw was a Monokuma charging towards them!

"Ahh!" They screamed as Akira instinctively slugged it in the face, which sent it flying. Letting out a sigh of relief and calming down, they went onwards.

The girls sneaked around the floor. Spotting a Bomber Monokuma, Komaru sniped it and it exploded as the three ran forwards. Heading towards a stained glass hallway, they found themselves in a large foyer-like area as the encountered a Monokuma Kid and a computer.

"Tee hee..." The Monokuma Kid giggled as they handed Komaru a letter.

"What is this? A letter...?"

"Maybe it's a love letter! This might be the last one you ever receive, so open it!" Toko ordered in an ominous tone.

"You don't have to make it sound so ominous!" Komaru said as she opened it.

"Challenge: If you want to know the password, try asking the upside-down bird!"

Toko walked up to the computer. "Hm, looks like they want us to solve a riddle. We put the right answer in here..."

"Wh-What the heck...?" Komaru shook her head. "This is no time to be playing games like this!"

Toko nodded in agreement, glaring at the Monokuma Kid. "I want to slap this brat in the face for this, but Monokumas would ambush us if I did... It's a pain in the ass... But we gotta do it."

"Then leave it to me!" Komaru volunteered as she made a confident look. "This kid's riddle will be...child's play!"

"Did... Did you just make a pun?" Toko gave her a "seriously?" look. "Wow... That does not inspire confidence."

"She sounded so damn proud of it, too..." Akira mumbled as Komaru ran off.

---

"I got it!" Komaru ran back to the girls as she entered in the password: 7734.

CLICK!

"Yay! It's open!" Komaru cheered.

"Boo-hoo!" The Monokuma Kid sadly slumped his shoulders.

"Aww yeah, that's right!" Komaru gloated as she got all up in his face. "Who's the boss now?!"

"D-Don't be gloating about beating a little kid..." Toko sweatdropped.

"Yeah. Plus, it'd have been waaay better if you said something like "In yo FACE, you little shit!"" Akira said.

"Oh." Komaru turned to the Monokuma Kid. "In yo-"

"Don't bother, it's too late now."

"Aww..." Komaru pouted as the headed outside the hotel.

"Finally..." Akira sighed.

"Toko! Aki!" Komaru called as she was ready to run. "This way!"

"Hold on a sec..." Toko looked at the bridge up ahead.

"We're almost there! If we cross that bridge, we can get out of this town!" Komaru smiled.

"I hope so..." Toko said as they made their way towards the bridge.

Chapter 3: End

To be continued...?